Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I don't think I want to by this point. Look, just know I love the characters and what growth and failings I see in their character development I plan to rectify… As my headcannon.
Don't judge me.
ANYWAYS, this is part of the Unexpected Verse, long overdue. Now, I admit, Sakura is not my favorite – that goes to Ino – but I wanted Sakura to have a beautiful tale of her own. Sakura's story is the final piece of this series, so I wanted to give it a good end. I might do one-shots, but for now, this would be considered the completed finish of the verse.
In the lateness of night, the sounds of crickets playing in tune to a small, old song that was skipping and popping through the horn of the gramophone. Wide, open windows seeing out into the evening night with the glow of lanterns below and the splatter of stars in the distance of navy horizon. The warm glow of a lantern overhead filled and highlighted the office, with warm, wooden tones and textures hidden beneath piles of scrolls and books. A high back chair, made lush and comfortable, sat behind and ornate desk with a buxom, two-tailed blonde woman between the space of desk and chair. One hand of delicate-looking, pale digits were wrapped around the neck of a white sake bottle, the opposite hand was idly fingering a document. Vermilion eyes scanned across inked script without actually comprehending the words.
To be fair, she was ten bottles in and she already knew what the paper entailed.
Careful precision had gone into deciding who to send on this mission. She had no choice but to send Sakura, after months of blocking any attempts to send the medic-nin out on any mission detail, she could not put it off any longer. So then, if she could not stop Sakura from going, she was sending someone else. All girls. Ino and Hinata, both women claimed and unlikely to seduce the pinkette into any form of matrimony.
She hopes not… Hinata already had two men after all.
She did some more homework this time and made sure no one was backing this mission. She would not have another Hyuuga duping session… She was already dealing with some political paperwork from three clan heads entering into matrimony, fuck you very much.
This string eliminated, she felt secure in knowing that in no way was Sakura going to be snatched from her too. Nope, not at all.
To further eliminate any issues, she had made sure to keep a bunch of her shinobi busy with missions. Tsunade nodded to herself, realizing every single, single male shinobi was likely dying or out performing whatever menial task she could throw at them. Hey, they had quite a few mission backups and if they were going to keep snatching up the kunoichi for themselves, then they better pucker up and put on the heels. Honestly… Lee didn't look to bad when you plucked the brows and put on a wig…
Moving on.
Tsunade sighed in utter relief in knowing she had nothing to worry about. Absolutely nothing could interfere with this mission. Nothing.
So why did she still a sense of foreboding doom?
Russet hues, tinted with crimson, glanced to the bottle of sake in her hand with a suspicious narrowing of her eyes, feeling her world tilt sideways. Maybe the sake was bad?
Vibrant viridian gazed over the sandy dunes to the growing city in the distance. The sun beat down unjustly, heating the beige grains of sand and sending up heatwaves that distorted long distance sightings. Bright pink hair was pulled back into a messy bun, grateful for any cool breeze that could combat the sweltering heat that imbedded itself deep into her flesh and caused her pores to release sweat in an attempt to cool her form.
But there was no way she could stop smiling.
Behind her, her two companions talked, though Sakura didn't care to pay attention as she had been unable to shake this elated feeling. The feeling that had come over her since her sensei finally said she had a mission out of the village, seeping deep into her marrow and lighting her nerves on fire. Finally. FINAL-FUCKING-LY! She was getting out!
Ever since her fellow kunoichi have been pairing up, or in Hinata's case – being a trio, Tsunade had been taking a rather unhealthy interest in romance. Especially in Sakura's life. Sakura had dealt with scrutiny, constantly being harassed about any dates, grilled on the male shinobi she surrounded herself with. Hell, even girls have not been overlooked in this obvious invasion into her life. Is Ino, Hinata or Tenten pressuring her into boys, have they been speaking to other men, conspiring (Thanks a lot, Hinata and Ino!) with any male for any reason. At first, Sakura had put up with it. Even ranting about how all her friends had suddenly found guys (Never mind that each of them were the last sorts of people she would have thought they would end up with) and it was getting quite disgusting to be the only one who did not have someone.
She was happy for Ino, sure, even if she didn't quite understand her and Shino's dynamics. But whenever they were in public whatever doubt she had always melted away and it was like, no one else would have complimented them that well. When Tenten was around, Sai's smile didn't seem as fake – it looked genuine. They just radiated such intimacy and happiness that it was almost sickening… and hot. Hinata was the biggest surprise of them all. Never had Sakura believed that the shy member of their group would see past her infatuation with Naruto, even if Sakura believed her knuckleheaded teammate had no idea what he was passing up. But she did, which was baffling. Apparently Hinata had secrets and Sakura had serious, serious doubts about three clan heirs. But Shika and Chouji adored Hinata, doted on her in their own ways. Shika was lazy, no doubt, but he was attentive of Hinata even if he didn't look it – his focus intense and delicious when one could see it... Chouji was just a sweetheart that Sakura felt a moment of utter regret for not looking at the bigger boy as more than a friend. He treated his girls like utter queens, cherished and never backed down from being there for Hinata.
And all this? All it did was highlight the fact that she was utterly alone. She was jealous of her girlfriends, feeling like the odd cog out.
Eventually, the questions got old and all it did was remind Sakura that she had no love life. Between the hospital, training and some missions (never out of the village) she never had time to pursue anything of romance. It left a lot of people with the idea that she still held a torch for the Uchiha, waiting for him to return and express her love, again. Fuck that.
"Forehead… you've been smiling like a bat-shit crazy bitch this entire trip out. What has you scowling like we slapped your favorite puppy?" Ino's wry voice sounded from beside her and aptly pulled Sakura out of her downturned thoughts. Sakura turned her head to see Ino's pale pallor and Hinata's own fair, round face. Ino's oval face looked sallow, with bags under her eyes and sparked worry in Sakura.
Hinata's countenance, however, was a soft encouraging smile and looked to be glowing. Both women had been talking aimlessly about things and Sakura had been more than content to just let them prattle. The mission wasn't dangerous, merely a check-in with their allies for a day or two and then hightail it out of there. It was short, simple… and it was the first time Sakura was getting out of the village in nearly a year.
Yet, Ino's visage was a cause for concern, "You okay there, pig?"
Ino's savage scowl made the dark bags and sickly complexion stand out more, "Fucking peachy, billboard-brow. Now you done stalling, or can we get on with it? I want to sleep in an actual bed tonight." Ino sniffed, walking ahead of the two female companions. Sakura blinked, sending Hinata a questioning look. The dark haired beauty rolled her eyes and shook her head, but it was paired with an impish smile that told Sakura to ignore Ino's mood.
"She's tired. Hasn't had a goodnights sleep since Kiba, Lee and Shino have been on that mission." Sakura nodded slowly, though her face must express her confusion because Hinata sighed and elaborated, "They had a fight before he left." Comprehension dawned and Sakura nodded. Ino was one of the only people she knew that took things head on, but when she fought with someone she could be stubborn. If she and Shino were in the village for prolonged periods it would be resolved, but with both of them on missions and a possibility for danger… Yeah, Ino did not want to let chance make a fight the last goodbye.
"What did they fight about?" Sakura couldn't help but ask. Ino had been in a mood since starting the mission, but Ino hadn't come straight out and said what was bothering her. So Sakura had waited… did she tell Hinata? A stab of hurt hit her and it must have shown on her face because Hinata's eyes went wide for a moment.
"She didn't tell me, Shino did." She said in a rush, face going red, contrasting against the white-violet of her gaze. Sakura internally flinched since she knows it is childish to feel hurt over that even if she considers Ino her's on a deep, fundamental level that has withstood childhood stupidity. She does not feel jealous, she wants to say, but she knows she is possessive of Ino in different ways that are not of the romantic nature.
"Oh." She says and with a sigh, Hinata relaxes, both walking at a slower pace after the blonde ahead.
"They're being pressured about kids on both sides of their clans. Shino is all for kids, but Ino is…" And Sakura has to marvel, because none of this had been told to her. None of it. When it involves clans she had learned that a lot of that stuff cannot be talked about. Clans are an entire other class of their own, with secrets upon secrets, different sects in the village that puts a lot of things under confidentiality. There had been things, in the past, that Ino could not share with Sakura. Things Sakura hadn't known couldn't be discussed outside of clan homes. One topic in particular being Ino's mother. But if Shino told Hinata, why didn't Ino tell Sakura? Though, she wonders if maybe she had missed the drama with how Tsunade has been keeping her busy in a bid to stave off in 'losing her'.
Or what if Ino doesn't feel she can talk to her?
"Is pig not for it?" Sakura asks instead of letting herself go into those thoughts again, surprise coloring her voice. Here Hinata falters in demeanor and step, sending a quick, harried glance at Ino's back and alarms are going off in Sakura's head. Because the way Hinata acts, the fact that Ino hasn't said a word makes Sakura instantly worry if Ino couldn't talk to her about this because of another thing.
Another clan thing?
"Shino thinks she doesn't want children." Hinata whispers very, very low so there is no chance for Ino to hear them. The sun feels hotter and the sand moves too easily beneath her sandaled feet, but Sakura's attention is focused solely on Hinata's dismayed expression. It stumps Sakura because she had never heard Ino say anything about kids in that context. She wants to open her mouth and deny it, but she stops herself because she is utterly, fucking, unsure. Ino and she had never discussed kids; it was one of those vague, far off things Sakura had always imagined when she once thought of a future with the Uchiha. But now? No, she doesn't know and she is stumbling in her own head on how to address this.
Looking at Ino's back neither girl says anything but focuses on the village ahead and speeds up.
Sunagakure, Suna for short, is the Village Hidden by Sand for a reason. The village is nestled, fortified, by a valley with rocky cliffs of red, yellow and brown coloring, creating an in-a-crater-like-Earth structure. The village fits within, hidden by the natural elements of the land – as their name describes. The natural structure of the valley cradles around the outside of the village, circular in shape, leading to a narrow opening as the only way in and out. Hidden by the natural environment and being surrounded for miles by desert is a geographical deterrent against any possible invasion, aided further by the random sandstorms that can take the land and the water scarcity that has always remained an issue in Suna. With the harden rocky ground it was nigh impossible to attack from below, however Sakura always looks up, feeling that the weakness of the village might lie up there if not for the constant patrolling of the area and tower outposts to aide to the defenses of the village.
The gates are shut, outlined by jagged rocks, to warn visitors to not think of attacking or stepping out of line. The look was aided by the foreboding figures dressed head to toe in black, the large, solid wooden doors firmly shut with some suspicious staining in the grain at their back. The 'pleasantries' were always formal; with a thorough inspection to make sure the girls were who they were supposed to be. Weapons were checked and if not for the signature of Gaara, or any warning, they would likely be facing further issue though kunai and senbon were the more obvious weapons either girl carried.
"Huh, second batch?" One of the guards muttered, obviously not meaning to be heard but Sakura had to stall as she tried not to appear confused. 'What did he mean?' and a glance at the other two of her party were of no aid, as neither appeared to have heard him. With a fleeting glance back she moved forward when everything seemed to appear up and ready with Gaara flanked on either side by his siblings. Unseen were the amount of guards who were staying out of sight, but if they were anything like their own ANBU they were always there at the ready.
The three paused and bowed as one, but Ino quickly stood with a muffled, "Sorry Gaara!" And made a mad dash to one of the clay, domed buildings with thick glass and a sign above to display itself as a tourist shop, lights of warm yellow glowed to highlight sandy-desert clothes on mannequins, fabric of rich, vibrant silks. Sakura's face was slacked jawed, but Hinata's face looked sheepish with a slight smile.
Temari let out a laugh, hitting her brothers' shoulders as she bypassed them to follow after the Konoha beauty. Leaving the two brothers and the other party alone with Kankuro giving his trailing sister a weird look and Gaara remained stoic as ever but for a slight smile that teased at the corner of his lips.
"Shall we get started?" Gaara motioned, sweeping his arm out and to the main road that lead, twisted, curled and furled throughout the village, veering off into smaller streets and alleys. In the center of the village was the tower where the Kazekage oversaw the running of the village, with five big, main roads leading outward at five points. The buildings of Suna were matched perfectly with the desert, made out of clay, mud and stone to create nearly perfect spheres and spirals of housing that were either dug into the ground or rising high into multi-housing complexes, obviously separated into sectors of civilians and ninja. Kankuro reminded Sakura of Ino in that they could talk and talk while seeming to just be rambling away but were being informative in one breath. Suna was made up of sections; the front part of the village, also heavily guarded was designated for tourist, visitors without getting too deep into the village, abled to be forced out easily with little headway into and where most of the village functioned. Market places littered about in open spaces, stalls set up with different attractions of food, cloth, gadgets and gizmos, transitioning into other parts of the city with well systems set up, connected to irrigation with purification flushing set up in abstract locations that Kankuro didn't mention. Neither girl felt slighted by that observation.
Sakura went with the impromptu tour knowing that this was possibly part of the 'check-in' meeting since it was usually Shika and Temari who met up for these sorts of things. In the middle of one of the nin districts Temari and Ino caught up, whispering and laughing. Sakura raised a slim, plucked brow in question, but the girls didn't seem to notice. Sakura felt slighted, but brushed it away as she turned away, meeting Hinata's sympathetic eyes.
Everything was just a rush of information without giving away too much information. Suna was a maze, which Sakura thought was a standard for all ninja villages since Konoha had its own system-like maze to confuse the enemy. Only those whom have lived in the village all their life could notice different signs, or had an ingrained understanding of the layout. The afternoon sun had dipped, giving all the girls a reprieve, letting the shadows of the valley stretch out to cradle its citizens for the impending ending of the day.
Sakura felt as if she had taken in very little of the details, so quick and easy Kankuro was to talk. Aided by Temari with commentary and planning. Gaara had mostly been silent, like a long-standing guardian that was always there but never heard. Ino seemed in much better spirits after that weird display, with color in her cheeks. Hinata, even, was amicably talking along and pulling Kankuro into conversation and that left Sakura to her thoughts whenever she wasn't listening to the sand siblings' explanation of their home.
The people of Suna were also, starkly, different from her home. She had only known the ninja of the village, her visits not as inclusive as the one she was having now to see the life of the people who called the desert their home. While the shinobi population was easy to pick out with their uniforms of blue, black and beige flak jackets, shoulder guards along their shoulders, likely as both defense and to limit the amount of sand in places they don't want. Both shinobi and villagers wore headpieces of cloth to wrap around their heads and shoulders, civilians wearing more bright and colorful garbs of pastels to richer colors of navy and crimson, though those were fewer and looked heavier in material.
Those whom walked the streets always bowed as Gaara passed by, children smiled and waved, though there were some elders that stood to the side and whispered, staring as the group progresses. Sakura watches and notices the difference from younger generation to older, stauncher faces that are a mixture of curiosity and hooded expressions. She does not know if it is because of the fear these people once had for Gaara, as he had come a long, long way from being the psychopath when he was a child – having only heard pieces of it from Naruto. But, she smiles slightly; it shows how far Gaara has come as a leader for his village.
Darkness creeps up, giving away to the soft glow of the lanterns that highlight the village in the twilight hours. Shining the streets in bright light and the three Leaf Kunoichi watch as rocks, along the valley walls that outline the village, glow with blue luminescence that man-created light could not dim, pairing with stars overhead. The night grows colder, of course, with the heat of the sun no longer sizzling down on the people. Ino is quick to pull out a shawl; she moves to do the same from her own pack. Hinata is already clothed in a hooded shirt they remember from her teenage years, but with certain clan symbols stitched on.
"Hungry?" Kankuro's voice is jubilant next to her ear and she turns to see they've stopped in front of a wide, large building, with wooden platform stairs leading down into a lowered setting with a different set of steps leading up into what Sakura can only assume to be apartments. Kankuro doesn't wait, but Sakura is sure Hinata and Ino answered, as he leads down and Gaara after him. Sakura is preceded by her teammates with Temari bringing up the rear.
The interior was clearly a restaurant, with long wooden tables splayed out in an almost cafeteria-style layout, for anyone to sit and eat with a counter taking up a long wall on the opposite side, stools lining along the outside of it. It had the appearance of a diner, but with heavy feels of the sandy desert brought in. On each side of the long, long room, there were fire pits blazing, elevated on colored glass basins that depicted scenes, climbing up the walls, Sakura's mouth dropped up to see that the entire ceiling was patterned with the color glass, from left to right with a depiction of a story.
"Pretty isn't it?" This time it is Temari who whispers in her ear and she nods slowly, "It is an old tale, a story of a boy who rode gold from deep beneath the sand after being buried by his brother out of spite. Cold and alone, with hope lost, he found ancient treasure… and magic. Different stories depict the being the boy found of being a demon or a genie, but he made a wish, a wish to get out."
"Who was the boy? He didn't want the gold?" Ino's voice pipped up, pulling Sakura back into their surroundings. She turned to see that Gaara was sitting at the head of one of the tables, Kankuro to his right with Hinata to his left and Ino sitting beside the girl. The room was barren of others but for their group and a few stragglers. There were corner tables and it looked to be a group sitting in one, opposite side of the room. There was a waitress standing besides Kankuro, taking a whispered order or being flirted with – Sakura wasn't quite sure. So she took her seat beside Ino, who already had a glass of water sitting in front of her. Temari moved to sit opposite of Ino, pipping in an order for a drink. Sakura didn't ask for anything but water.
Temari was quick to turn back and address the Yamanaka's question, "No, he didn't. No one knows who the boy was, though some like to claim it was the first Kazekage when he was a child," Temari waved a hand to dismiss that, "Others claim it was one of our ancestors since our father had the ability to manipulate the element." The three Leaf nin nodded, but Temari continued, "The magical being asked him if he wanted to take gold with him, but the boy said no. He just wanted to get out."
Here Sakura frowned, "That's it? No revenge on the brother? Why did his brother do that to him anyway?"
Temari shrugged, "No one really knows. Some say it was because the boy was the favorite of their father. Others say it was over a girl. More are of the opinion that the boy belonged to one of the leading tribes before all the desert people would come together to create our village."
"Anyway," Kankuro took up the tale, leaning forward on the table, arms folded atop of each other, "So the magical being – I'm calling it a genie," Kankuro stuck his tongue out at Temari, "says he will grant the boy's wish and, due to the fact he was not tempted by gold, he would gift the boy with something."
"He gifted the boy the gold?" Hinata guesses.
"Better, he gifted the ability to transform sand into gold and have control over it." Kankuro grins savagely, "So the boy was able to use both the gift and his wish from the genie to part the sand, freeing himself and the genie from the tombs," The puppeteer points to the last tiled scene, "It shows the boy and the genie riding the sand into the distance where they go off to other lands, but no one really knows what happened."
"What is the popular ending?" Sakura presses, elbows on the table and chin in her hands. Kankuro gives her a long look, the pinkette frowns unsure what it is for until the waitress sets something down in front of her and Kankuro is grinning as if he is the wolf ready to eat the sheep.
"What is that?" Ino sounded from beside her, aghast.
Green eyes tore away from the visage of the painted face and down at the cup in front of her, going wide.
The cup was a goblet and it was huge, thirty-two ounces of some pink, icee liquid inside with an umbrella and a long pick with a decorated cactus of red plastic at the end, with cherries and strawberries stabbed onto it in an artful display. The goblet was made of amber glass that stood tall, nearly reaching the bottom of her chin. The decorative umbrella is blue, but unimpressive and small in comparison to the rest of the drink.
"There is a story that the genie introduced a drink to the boy, a drink that revealed a vision. The genie squeezed juices from demon berries, strained rainwater from clouds and sprinkled fae gold and gave it to the boy telling him that the drink would show him the answer to his future."
"You're giving us a drugged drink?" Ino sounds unimpressed and Sakura snaps her head about alarmed, but Gaara is drinking the drink?! Temari downs a mouthful and Kankuro is still grinning.
"Yup." He stares at Hinata and Sakura, "It's a Suna thing we wanted to share. We promise we'll take care of you."
"Why doesn't Ino have one?" Sakura questions suspiciously and Ino gives her a side view.
"I got sick earlier, Forehead, why the fuck would they want to deal with a drugged, puking me?" Ino scoffs with brows raised as if to question Sakura's mental faculties. The pinkette growls and then feels her heart plummet to her stomach, jaw dropping and eyes bugging out of her head when Hinata – FREAKING INNOCENT AS HELL HINATA – downed her own mouthful, finishing with swiping the back of her hand across her mouth. Cheeks are red, but she is smiling.
"It is very good." Her quiet voice seems suddenly loud and filling the room. Ino laughs, slapping the back of the dark haired girl in a congratulation of festivities.
"You going to enjoy the drink or not?" Temari presses with a smile full of teeth, but play in those teal eyes.
Sakura looked at her drink and everyone else's expected faces and decided, 'Why the hell not?' The first taste is sort of bitter but as the cold hits her tongue there is a pleasant sting that replaces the bitter tang with berry sweetness. She lets it sit, just taking in the flavor before swallowing it down with far less gusto than Hinata.
"Oh, the wonders of peer-pressure." Ino's whispered scandalized tone went ignored.
"Well?" Temari prompted, sounding rather bored and expectant.
"It is good. I can't taste any alcoholic mixing or anything." Which didn't quite cover it all, but she found the drink to be nice and cool, especially after a day of being out in the hot sun and going from travelling to walking throughout the village. Odd, Sakura frowned, absently taking another drink of the beverage; usually Gaara would allow them to rest a few hours.
"A toast," Kankuro called the attention of the table and, Sakura thought dimly, other people who had packed in after they had – making the room almost full, "to majestic beginnings and lifelong happiness!" There was banging and hollering, but Ino drank her water, Gaara drank his drink and everyone else was doing the same. With a mental shrug, Sakura figured – as the food was coming out – to just enjoy the night.
Sakura loses track of time after the food arrives and she can feel her flesh heating and her heart rate picking up. She laughs, blinks and feels as if her world shifts. Blinks again – the same thing happening. With each blink there is a stop picture motion that takes place with food before them, more bodies surround her, food is gone and more appear. Likewise, people trickle in and out, flashing focus to highlight faces that are unfamiliar and familiar. She feels fast, rushing between each moment of blinking and out of time with how the world seems to move in increments, too fast that she feels stuck into place, heavier and heavier with a sinking weight at the bottom of her stomach.
Reality only sinks in when there is an arm around her, strong and defined and she rubs against fabric and skin, mewling in need and want. Want because it was something she could feel, taking her back into the moment of here and now as the night seems to progress beyond her recognition of time and spacing of events. Need because it felt fucking amazing. The cloth feels silky and gentle along her skin, flesh that feels rough and flaky beneath the velvet feel. Her nose buries into a crook, inhaling a musky, manly scent and she bites at flesh that feels cool and welcoming, stubble scratches at her cheek and she nuzzles against it at the odd contrasts tickles.
She blinks and there are colors, a rainbow, swirling above her with a rosy tint at the corner of her vision. Shadows stretch out, not detracting from the colors, but adding to them with shadings, sparkling into night time stars above her. She feels as if she is floating, yet there is a feeling of soft, comforting coolness beneath her that cradles against her. She sees as well as feels the breeze as it washes over her, like white lines drawn across a chalkboard. Her palms glide across her body, to the hard peaks of her nipples and she wiggles with the realization she is naked. Arms fly up, and she arches as the scent of the male, muskiness assaults her nasal passages.
"Sakura…" She hears a voice, the deep baritone shooting through her nerves and she moans. The rest of the words lost to her as she blindly reaches out, grabbing a hold of damp locks, imagining dark hair, spiked, licks her lips as she pulls. Legs rising to twine, like ivy, around a trimmed waist. She opens her mouth and inhales with the spicy taste of lips meeting her own, purrs in response to a warning growl. Arching, her torso meets harsh planes of sculpted muscle, warm and sizzling against her own heated dermis that it hurts in a delicious, torturous temptation for more.
"Sakura." Her name is uttered in a voice she dreams of, silently begs for as she thrusts her pelvis up, grinding into his hips. His breath curses into her chin, but she doesn't stop, the jutting hardness of him so pronounced her quim quivers and pulses to take him. The scent of sweat, soap and wilderness surrounds her, egged on by the rainbow bleeding into greens and browns, vines stretching out from beneath her to cradle his body closer.
"Sakura." His voice is desperate and she licks down a throat corded with tension, sucking on the bobbing Adam's apple and to the hollow point to take in the salty taste of him. His arms are solid, thick and dark with light trails of hair along the length, leading up to round shoulders she has admired in the hot rays of sunny training, water or sweat glistening along tanned skin, littered with scars and taunt with tension of preparation. Her toes curled into the lower end of his ass. Limbs tightened to pull him closer, yet his longer and much larger form resisted and she could feel his rigidity beneath her fingertips, defining the power that lined his back.
Gravity was a funny thing, bringing her down to bounce on the sheets that flew and splashed off the bed, crème that waved and twisted – falling away into intangible presence, stark against the solidness of the body that thrummed and hovered above her. She caught his gaze, losing herself in the depths, digits rising to trace his cheeks, the harsh angles that could be dangerous with the emotions that transformed his face into a beast to that of a smiling charmer when he wanted. The shift between either is striking and had caught her gaze several times over throughout the years, even after pinning after Sasuke in the hopes of a childish, selfish love.
Sasuke was too pretty, too damaged, but he - the man above her - was raw, not pretty in a sad, deadly way, but rugged, handsome in a way that can easily sweep her up and parry with her in even her most volatile moments. It is only fitting, with euphoria coating her skin, her heartbeat ramming into her ribcage and heat infusing between them, that she imagines him in this drug induced state.
Perhaps that is why she felt safe to say feelings that have, increasingly, plagued her.
"I've imagined you like this." She whispers and she can feel him jerk in surprise, but her arms remained wrapped around him and holding him in place, "Hovering over me like this, me wet and waiting for you to drive into me." Her words sound muffled and wispy to her own ears, but her eyes trace over his pointed ears, fangs in that mouth and can feel his claws digging into the surface beneath her.
"I'm not-"His dark gaze flashes with a strike of anger and she's shaking her head so hard she feels the wind pick up, spinning them in the air and making her go dizzy.
"Not Sasuke. You." She emphases this with a hard shift of her knees squeezing his sides and she sees those nostrils flair with his sudden intake of breath, his chest rumbling and she can't help but feel it is unfair. He must have stolen the air, she feels entirely too breathless. She slides arms up, over bulging biceps and toned banes of chest, nails skirting in tease along a collarbone, "I want you." She sighs, closing her eyes and smiling, "Would figure it would be you I see when I'm on a trip." The chuckle escapes her, but sounds too loud and rough on her tongue. Her lips taste too dry and she tries to lick them, but then his mouth is on hers and she uses that tongue to taste the damp, cavern of his own, dancing along his slick tongue in desperation to be filled by it.
Too soon, he is pulling away, just as distant from her as he is in reality. She huffs.
"Say my name." He whispers, her gaze lingering on lips she has dreamt and designed to kiss one day. Maybe after this, she thinks with a mental grumble, she'll pop one on him when she wakes from the sexy induced drug trip. She traces the lips, rough under the pad of her thumb, feeling their plushness, slick and bruised from their kisses and something in her stomach tightens. Her heart constricts, sending a shock of something that has her keening, catching in her throat. Rain coats her cheeks, but she still sees him, glowing, hot, and dangerous and everything she ever really wanted as a woman, as a being who wanted someone to want her for everything she was.
"Kiba," She chokes a moment, mouth opened to say more, but he gives her no time. What space that separated them, cold air a barrier, is gone as he forms his body around her. His hard contours covering and cradling her softer form beneath him, he devours her, sweeps her up into the cascading lust that seeps into her pores, tantalizing the air to infect him and infusing it back into her. A cycle that doesn't let up as he settles between her legs, driving the proof of his physical desire into her own naked evidence. Her body cradles him, legs against his sides, consuming his heat, his passion. Arms wrapped around his shoulders, hands gripping soft, wet strands of dark hair.
Sakura opens her eyes and she feels her world tilt, straighten when she feels a hard, cold wall with stony grain pressing into her back. She is suspended in air, the chilly night forcing a shiver through her and hugging closer to the warmth of Kiba's form. He is strong, tall, able to lift her smaller body, holding her there with the press of his chest and one hand spanning across the whole of her bottom. She gasps, hips shifting and stomach clenching at the sudden intrusion of a finger, blunt nail, but thick and long, teasing at her back entrance. He is as naked as she, the underside of his shaft tormenting between the curtains of her sex, rubbing at the jewel of her clit in slow, provoking strokes. A large palm cups a small, pert breast, squeezing as he caresses his rough skin over the sensitive flesh and an areola fitted between digits. Her head rolls back, giving him access to her throat as he trails hot, savage kisses along the middle. She cries out with excitement when he bites down where jaw meets neck, soothing the sting with coy suction and she whines, knowing she'll be marked with it in the morning.
If only it was real.
There is a pause and he is pulling away, the spot he was focused on before hums in the aftermath, sizzling at the sudden loss of him and his dark eyes are penetrating, yet glittering with amusement and puzzlement. She can see the swirls of chocolate, highlighting with cherry pits for pupils, "Sakura, this is real." His voice caresses within her, stroking nerves to tingle in the aftermath. She mewls like a kitten, leaning forward to bury her face into the crook of his neck, cheeks nuzzling into the bristled shadow of his jaw and the sculpted provocation of smooth shoulder. She could feel the burning sensation in either of her cheeks, his heat seeping through, down her shoulders and throughout the rest of her.
"I want it to be." She mutters, lethargic with eyes drifting closed. Shaded flowers of black and white bloomed and died from behind her eyelids, flickering spots of bursting red scattered and transforming into shapes of a puppy Akamaru, tails wagging and barking under the subtle drum of a heartbeat in her ears. She runs her lips over the defined line of a shoulder, peppering small kisses. He is still hot between her legs, her clit pulses, but they are still and she just wants him inside of her, but she wants this too. Him to hold her, to engulf her in his arms and just possess her in the ways she needs it.
"I want that too." His voice is a low rumble against her temple and she groans, rubbing her flesh into the prickly stubble along the jaw, turning her head to bite at the hard edge. It incites a low chuckle that causes her hips to twitch, driving against him and the chuckle mutates to a low groan. He adjusts a grip into her hair to pull her head back and give into a kiss that does nothing but fuel the fire burning in her womb.
"Why do you have to be so far away?"
"I'm right here, Sakura, I'm right here." His voice is soft reassurances. Her hands trail over a firm chest that feels so real and wonders, briefly, if she can get the recipe to this drink.
"I need you, please, please." She repeats the please, escaping his hold in her hair, kissing around the flesh of his neck and throat and she is rewarded with him returning to rubbing himself against her, holding her and leaning into the wall. He angles her hips outward, but he doesn't penetrate her. A growl escapes her as he stops her from moving herself to sink onto him under her own power. Her gaze flashes, the anger running through her aside the lust as she meet hues that look brown, but there is flecks of honey with some redder tinting around the pupil, the whiskey flesh treaded like little lines along the coloring of his eyes.
"Sakura, I-"
But she cuts him off as she lunges up to kiss him. She surprises him, forcing him to adjust, his grip around her ass tightens as she forces him to step back and suddenly he is under her. The crème beneath him, contrasting sharply against the darkness of him, "I'm not letting you go." She growls, nails digging into his chest and she pulls down. He hisses out a curse and his grip shifts to her hips as she grips him.
"Shit, Kura," He wheezes as she squeezes the girth of him, running her palm over the head and nothing stops her pleased purr when she finds he is slick with her juices… and she's pretty sure pre-cum. His hands tighten, possibly going to leave bruises – I really wish those would be there in the morning when I wake up, "Baby doll, you're killing me here."
"Let me be your doctor and save you." The words are out of her mouth in a low husky sound and she is sinking down, the head of him finally penetrating the intimate flesh and she almost is knocked off when he moves beneath her. The muscles of his stomach are taunt with tension beneath her hand. Hazy vision sees the veins in his arms and his jaw locked, the muscles of his neck coiled, but his eyes are wild and focused on her.
A beast that wants to devour her.
"Baby doll, shit, Kura, I don't want you to wake up and regret this." He sounds like he is far away, but he's right there and he's watching her, hungry and wanting. But he doesn't take her and there is something in the back of her mind that is asking why the fuck is her hot ass hallucination so worried about her sobriety in this moment? She frowns and sinks further down, but he stops her, rugged breath escaping him. Sakura leans forward, using her one hand to lower herself, but she doesn't relinquish her hold on the other part of him she wants in her so desperately.
"How can I regret it when I've wanted this for years?" Sakura's face is hovering over his, feeling the stutter of a surprise breath and she watches that pupil become incredibly blown. Her world spins, gravity unleashing its shackles on her before bringing her back down. Her back is against the mattress and the sheets that are so soft beneath her. He is hovering over her, but the head of him is still inside of her, one of his hands has her wrists together, pinned beneath his might over her head and the other arm rises out of the side of her view, feeling his fingers twisting in her short hair.
"Then believe me," His words are sexual, guttural growl that slivers through her, "when I say you best believe this is real, Baby doll. I'm taking you here, now and in the morning, when you sober up, I'm going to remind you again and again. Got it?"
A threat, a promise, something delicious and she uses her heels to lunge her hips up, gripping him around the waist. He howls, and she can't help but to respond because that move brought him deeper within her and she is deliciously being stretched.
She wants all of him inside of her.
Thankfully, her hallucination must have lost the fight in him because his hips move and he is sinking inside of her, just like she wants. A pout and whine leaves her, because he is not fully inside of her before pulling out, but it dies quickly as he moves his hips to sink deeper, repeating this and at this rate, she's just fucking glad to be filled by him. The vines from before are winding around the parts of them that are connected, bringing them closer. Her nails prick at the hand and vines, wanting to touch and taste him. Her back arches as he leans down and takes the whole of her nipple between his lips, biting and sucking.
"Kiba," her voice is not betraying her when it mewls with her want, "let me," she groans when his hips plunged deeper, bottoming out into her sharply, hitting the spot she needs him to get with the angle their bodies are in, "touch you." She chokes out the last of her demand because he's driving into her, delivering on his promise. He is on his knees, holding her hips up as he keeps thrusting into her, repeatedly hitting that spot that sends buds of some flowers charging up the vines that twist around them, glowing now to illuminate his face and the way he's looking at her.
He releases her and she's curling up and his hand that had been holding her wrists is on the small of her back as her arms curl around his neck. Her hands bury themselves in his hair as she claims those lips that betray his emotions more easily than the rest of him ever could. His mouth is hot and passionate, but there is a shift and it sweeps her up because he is not rough or demanding, but gentle and there is a pull. She is straddling his laps and he is still inside her, hips snapping away. The hand on the small of her back relocates to cupping her cheek, the tip of a calloused thumb brushing the angle of her cheek tenderly.
Her breath is stolen and she leans back, eyes wide and his face is not wild, but something else. She wants to say serious, but it's not quite right.
Focused. He is focused on her, on her face and she is captivated, she can't look away.
"Mine." He doesn't growl, there is no rough claim but something that rumbles from deep within some part of him that is laid bare before her as those words tumble from his lips and those eyes, eyes that are deep and warm, soulful, bore into her.
Oh shit, it's real. Her mind nearly breaks as her eyes are wide and before she even can think about it, there is a burst of feeling that explodes. She cries out, probably his name, probably some prayer – she's not sure – but her climax is explosive and consumes her deeply. She is falling back, darkness around her and the chalky wind is now explosive behind her eyes, blinding. Kiba is still above her, his voice hoarse and he is whispering words in her shoulder, begging her, pleading as he seeks his own release.
She holds on, clings to him and whispers back, encouraging and pushing as his motions become less composed, falling into a pattern that thuds to a similar uneven beat as her heart. He goes still above her, mouth opened in a silent howl just before his bones go lax and he is lying on top of her. His larger structure comforting and warm, welcoming in the aftermath. She does not push him away, but pulls him closer. His breath is harsh against her neck; cool in comparison to the heat that radiates beneath her skin. Broad arms encircle her and he is turning, bringing her with him so she is splayed out over his body, head tucked beneath his chin.
Sakura's eyes flutter and she feels herself sinking into oblivion with the tips of his fingers rubbing patterns in her back and a hum vibrating in his throat.
Sunlight dithered through the slit of a window, a beam of streaming dawning light that would slowly lower to blind the occupant of the bed as the sun steadily rose higher in the sky. But it never made it that far when the sleeping figure of the medic awoke, feeling delicious and bruised all over, stretching her arms above her head.
Green eyes searched, but discovered… Sakura had woken up alone.
It wasn't real. Her mind supplied even as she felt stabbing disappointment, "Must have been a hell of a drug." She muttered, moving from beneath the sheets and heading toward the bathroom. She flipped the light on, rolling her shoulders and set about getting herself cleaned up. She could feel the aftermath of her wet hallucination from between her thighs.
A sigh escapes pretty pink lips, turning only for a second after flipping on water for a shower. And did a double take.
The bathroom was small, very nice and efficient, but it housed a full-length mirror across the top half of the wall on the opposite side of the tub and shower. A mirror that was displaying imprints of hands that had gripped her hips, her wrists, her thighs. A reflection that displayed the red and purple of hickeys across her body, the red around her face from a stubble.
Evidence. Evidence that last night wasn't a hallucination like she was thinking it was. He'd been saying it was real, hadn't he? He'd convinced her it was real in the end, told her… Her face flushed crimson from mixture of remembrance and mounting rage.
"That fuckin' sonovabitch!" A fist went flying, shattering the mirror that held every bit of proof that she hadn't been alone last night. Growling and green hues glowing in the shadows, debris of shards of the mirror had gone flying and killed the lights.
The journey back home started with silence. After making up some lame excuse as to why she had broken the mirror in the guest room that Gaara had given her, Sakura had been fuming, feeling humiliated and abandoned after everything. She remembered everything. Everything she said, she admitted, confirmed, begged and pleaded just to get him to touch her and he – he – he….
He promised to be there in the morning to show her, the tiny voice of doubt is pithy and mocking.
Ino and Hinata exchange a look when Sakura lets out an enraged scream, glancing back to the far off gates of Suna that weren't entirely out of sight, but - hopefully - hadn't heard the pinkette's war cry as she began punching sand. Grains of the element spiked up under the force of chakra-induced fists. They were traveling a distance behind the girl that was so lost in whatever had upset her, but there were flickers of this created dust storm that had them backing away further to get out of the way of the girl's wrath.
Lost as to what had brought this on.
Sakura's rage was similar enough to Ino's that as long as she had an outlet, she could calm down. Violence was the most obvious choice and they were going to let her go at it as long as it did not involve them at all. So they waited and when some Suna nin came to see what was up, Hinata did some talking to assure them that no, this was not a giant worm creature creating the spurts of flying ground. No, they were not attacking and no, they weren't stopping their friend.
Eventually, after a good half hour or more of punching, did Sakura sink to her knees in the sand that was growing blazingly hot and burning her flesh. She didn't care. In the next minute she let out a wail causing Hinata and Ino to run to her in alarm, reaching her as she burst into tears.
In the end, Sakura didn't tell Ino or Hinata what was wrong. She felt humiliated, left like a scorned lover after a night of passion, after revealing a part of herself she had been too scared to admit for the longest time. Both girls' attempted to chat with her, but Sakura wasn't in the mood and when, after two days of quick travel, the gates of their village could be seen in the distance. she felt her stomach drop out.
Was he there?
She had no way of knowing and as Sakura stops to take a breather, staring at the sight to fortify herself for seeing him, Ino lands on the space next to her. Mulishly, Sakura presses her lips together, casting the blonde a look. Ino looked like she was ready to keel over. The startling blue of her eyes is focused on Sakura.
"What, pig?" Sakura snapped, feeling frustrated from the last couple of days of secrets from the blonde and Kiba's own duplicity. Ino doesn't snap back and that has concern darting in when the girl merely grips Sakura's shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze. She does not press and Sakura isn't sure if she likes that or not, when she eyes Ino more closely and quietly wonders if she should be pushing Ino into a hospital room as soon as they enter the gates.
Sakura doesn't get to voice it or think about it because Hinata and Ino jump on ahead, making a beeline for the gates. The pinkette doesn't focus on that though as she retreats back into her thoughts, trying to decide how she is going to tackle what happened in Suna with Kiba.
"What in the world?" On auto pilot, Sakura slows down besides Ino, the blonde's words drawing Sakura into the present and eyes going wide at the crowd gathered at the gates. There is Kiba amongst the group that makes up her parents – her mother and father are at the front – with Kiba's mother and sister there as well. There is Shino, Sai, Tenten, Naruto, Lee, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kakashi, Kurenai and so many other faces she recognizes and some Sakura doesn't even think she has seen before.
Tsunade is there in her Hokage robes, a sight not often seen and only in the most serious of circumstances. It should be an alarming sight, especially with that scowl on her face, but there was more strange shit that Sakura was focused on.
There is a giant banner that is stretched from one end of the gate to the other, with bouquets of flowers written in the words, Sakura Inuzuka, which Sakura can't help but to sound out because… Well, fuck, this was ridiculous.
Am I still drugged?
The girls land just before this odd gathering, Ino and Hinata are looking at her, but Sakura is focused on the lone, wild looking young man that has stepped forward. His wild, chocolate locks are windswept and the red clan markings stand out on his tanned, chiseled cheeks. His dark eyes are focused and intense, Sakura feels heat coil in her belly and mentally curses herself for the reaction.
Kiba is standing tall, broad shouldered and in clothes that don't hide just how compact his muscles are. He looks so good in silk, traditional clothes of haori overcoat and the striped hakama trousers. Kiba had his own flair with his bare chest revealed beneath the haori and his family crest marked on a medallion around his waist, tied to that of a belt. Traditional wedding clothes.
Sakura's throat goes dry, mind short circuiting as her gaze flickers from Kiba to the banner and back again.
Drug trip, has to be.
"Sakura," Kiba's voice was strong and confident, the only sound after the initial hush of their entrance, "I'm not sorry."
Sakura felt a spike of anger, her fists clenching at her side, but she didn't get a chance to say or do anything before Kiba continues.
"I'm not sorry I made love to you." And the flush on her face was suddenly not just anger anymore.
"My parents are here, shithead." Sakura seethed, shooting a glance to her folks, both of whom appeared more amused than anything. Drug trip or not, she isn't keen on parading around the fact she had awesome sex for her parents to hear.
Tsume barks out a laugh and Hana, the dogs, follow along.
"I'm not sorry for the years I wished you'd turn your eyes and see me." Kiba continued on, as if Sakura hadn't spoken, but his gaze glinted and that heat in her belly caused a tingle to shoot through her.
"I'm not sorry for admiring your strength." Kiba took a step towards her. Sakura refused to take a step back. It was a close thing.
"I'm not sorry for marveling at your intelligence." He took another.
"I'm not sorry for inhaling your scent whenever you're near me." She quivered, but didn't step back when he took another step.
"I'm not sorry for imagining what it would be like to kiss you." Sakura's breath hitched. He took another step. She fused medical chakra through her system, wanting to expel the drug out, but there was nothing.
Oh god, this is real then?
"I'm not sorry for a lot of things when it comes to you." He took another step, closer and Sakura couldn't look away from his gaze, "I'm sorry for other things." He was in front of her, so close she could feel his breath on her lips. She licked her's absently, "That I left you the morning after, that I couldn't bask in waking up next to you after watching you come undone. I'm sorry I couldn't cuddle you close and try to convince you to stay in bed with me longer, possibly kissing you until you eventually got fed up enough with me you kicked my ass." Sakura felt light head and her chest panged in want of the images he inspired.
"I'm not sorry, though," He leaned down, whispering, "for marrying you." Sakura launched herself, capturing his lips with hers, arms going around his neck and legs, hugging around his waist. He was dressed so nice and cleanly, while she was in her usual gear, looking worse for wear given her earlier temper tantrum, camping, running and sweating.
"Tsunade, get to it." A voice growled and Sakura was faintly sure it was Tsume, Kiba's mother, but she was too busy kissing Kiba.
"Fine," Tsunade sounded a touch desolate, "Kiba, I now pronounce you as the latest douchebags to steal one of my kunoichi," There was laughter and Sakura finally pulled away from Kiba, needing to breathe. Kiba lowered his forehead to her own, his arms wrapped around her securely as she lowered her feet to the ground, "Sakura, I proclaim you as the last sucker to fall for these stupid shinobi men and their devious ways."
There was more laughter, mocking the seriousness Tsunade seemed to protrude. Sakura didn't doubt she was serious, but right now, she was focused on her husband and too dazed with events to care about some of that shit right now.
"Is that it, are we married?" Sakura couldn't help but ask, turning to her mentor who, despite her tone, was smiling with tears in her honey hues.
"Yeah, yeah, you can continue sucking face." Sakura didn't have to be told twice.
Later that night, after the celebrations had died down, Tsunade sat in her office, overlooking the village. A bottle of sake sat before her, the usual cup and dish forgone as she took the jug and drank straight from the source. Before her, on the table, Sakura's file laid spread out before her. Corrected to Sakura Inuzuka now, including clan contracts and a lot of other political bull Kiba had insisted be filled out before Sakura arrived from her mission that afternoon.
Tsunade sighed, finishing off that bottle and pushing it off her desk to clatter and break on the floor, joining the many brothers and sisters that had fallen before it.
"Another one bites the dust, dammit," A hiccup, "best get Lee use to drag. Gai might still have some makeup lying around."
That's it, the official final story to the Unexpected Verse. Again, I might do a series of one-shots since I had a few things left up in the air with this chapter and several other stories.
I am, also, considering Temari, but she was not originally part of the official story plot for me to write for. However, I love our ninja girls and want only the best for them.
I will caution that I have no idea when that would be out, however. I'm trying to be less of a loser with writing and updating, but I tend to get caught up in tangents.
Let me know what you think and thank you all for the support.